


The Healer's Journey

by ChainedThoughts



Category: Band of Brothers
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-24
Updated: 2016-01-28
Packaged: 2018-05-16 00:31:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 14,975
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5806348
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChainedThoughts/pseuds/ChainedThoughts
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The men of Easy Company are getting ready to go to war when Col. Sink assigns them to a task that's only befitting for the best soldiers. What would happen if the task they were assigned to gives them a lot of trouble along the way?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Aurora

**Author's Note:**

> I originally posted this at fanfiction but I thought that perhaps I could post it here too. I like having to spread my work and get reviews here and there. I don't any of the characters considering they're all historical. I only claim rights to Aurora and the flow of the story, that's all. I do hope it's an enjoyable read because this is one of my proudest works.

Chapter One

* * *

 

~3 Weeks Earlier. ~

Late one evening, two trucks collided with each other; one was an American Military truck while the other was a French Military truck that was carrying what seems to be something special which would most probably be used as an offering to Hitler. The American soldiers had no injury other than a scratch on their truck while the French soldiers may not be so lucky because they skidded further towards the cliff but manage to not fall over although nothing can be said about the damage received.

"Is everyone alright?" One of the soldiers asked his friends as he rubbed his swollen forehead.

"Yeah I think we'll be fine," Another answered.

"Holy shit. That's a French army truck; we're in deep shit now boys." One of the soldiers recognized the other truck had panicked. "Maybe we should check to see who we hit just in case there's a survivor."

"Well you go then," Said the previous soldier. "You suggested it."

"Fine." He nodded with a gulp.

The soldier jumped out from the safety of his vehicle, gun at a ready just in case someone starts shooting at him but it was so quiet that he assumed the passengers in the truck were dead. He went towards the truck slowly and at first there appear to be no one alive until he checked a second time. He laid his eyes upon something unbelievable that he practically dropped the gun that he was holding on to and managed a grin.

"Col. Sink is gonna love this."

* * *

 

~3 Weeks Later. ~

Camp Toccoa, Georgia.

There was a lot of yelling coming from Camp Toccoa where 1st Lieutenant Sobel was training the men of Easy Company, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment in the 101st Airborne Division. The men came from different backgrounds, different part of the country, different choices in occupation and even different social status; some were desperately poor, others middle class citizens and a rare few were from wealthy families. They were all rather young in age; the youngest being at the very least sixteen and the oldest being twenty eight; First Lieutenant Sobel is a Jewish, urban twenty eight year old who instantly became the "old man" of the group. The men were doing their push ups under Sobel's command which meant three times harder than normal like all the other company's training routine.

"Lt Sobel," said a young Lt with fiery red hair. His name is Richard Winters but more often than not he's known as Dick.

"What is it?" asked the fuming Sobel who's cheeks turns red as ripe as a tomato. He didn't like to be interrupted especially during training.

"Col. Sink is here to see you sir. He said he has an announcement."

"Get the men to fall in line," Sobel commanded him.

"Yes sir. Easy Company. Fall in line."

All of the men stopped doing push ups and stands in attention as Col. Sink made an appearance along with the intelligence officer; Lewis Nixon who was summoned earlier, so he had a reason to skip training this once and behind him was a young girl with long golden hair, violet eyes and ivory skin wearing a white dress. Her appearance is what catches their attention the most as they were used to groomed maidens and this particular maiden was not only very scrawny but an utter mess; her dress has dirt stains all over it, her golden hair has a bit of a dark shade to it which they probably imagine it to be dirt or mud and there were a lot of split ends. Her tiny body was hiding behind Nixon as Col. Sink informs them of their assigned task strictly under Major Horton's orders.

"At ease gentleman," The Colonel probably in his late thirties nodded at the men. "It has come to my attention that Easy Company is the best there is and I only want the best assigned to keep an eye on her."

"Permission to speak sir?" Sobel looked at the girl in bewilderment then to the Colonel.

"Permission granted."

"Who is she?"

"This here is Aurora. Major Horton's men found her about 3 weeks ago and has now placed her under Easy Company. I'll leave it to you to decide who to keep an eye on her."

"Lt Winters is my choice," He said without a moment's pause, particularly because he didn't want to deal with her.

"That's good enough for me. Now if you could come with me Herbert, we have a few things to discuss. That will be all, as you were men."

He left as fast as he arrived; Sobel followed him back to Battalion headquarters while the men of Easy Company eyes the girl hiding behind Nixon curiously. Joseph Liebgott; a twenty five year old Jew tries talking to her but she remains silent and it wasn't long before she was summoned back to Sink's Office. The men didn't pay much attention to her in the days to follow since she wouldn't even talk to them but they figured it was due to not liking them one bit so they just let it go and went on as if she never existed although it was a rather difficult task. Sobel's underling Private William Evans had a hard time keeping an eye on her while the men were out training cause she makes it a habit of running away from him every chance she gets.

"Come back here." He would cry. "Please come back, miss." She would shake her head and continue on running without knowing where it was she's running off to but she didn't care because she just wanted to leave. There was one time she was sure she lost him until she bumped into three men; Darrell "Shifty" Powers, Joseph Liebgott and Eugene "Doc" Roe who were running back down from Currahee.

"Hey you're that girl from before aren't you?" The one name Liebgott grabbed hold of her arm as he asked her.

"Are you in a hurry?" The soft spoken soldier that goes by the name Shifty asked with a hint of warmth in his voice.

"I doubt she's in a hurry," The doc shook his head. He spoke with a thick Cajun accent that was new to the girl when she looked at him.

"I finally found you missus." She sighed and glared at Liebgott who lets go of her arm as her watch dog came to retrieve her. "You sure are a lot of trouble missus but I'm begging you not to run away anymore or the Lieutenant will have both our heads." He pleaded but all she did was rolled her eyes in annoyance.

"Run away?" Liebgott raised an eyebrow at Evans and turned to his fellow friends.

"Oh well, this isn't the first time," He began but was cut off when someone shouted 'Hi-Ho Silver'. Aurora took this chance and stomped on Evans's foot before running off again. "Ouch! Not again, missus!"

The young private went dashing off after her leaving Shifty, Liebgott and Roe speechless as they try to absorb what just happened but their train of thoughts were interrupted by Sobel's yelling. Today wasn't the only event that occurred whereby Evans is running around chasing after the young maiden much to the amusement of the men, it was a daily routine. It was late one afternoon when Eugene bumped into her; she looked tired of running from running at the time so he just sat down next to her quietly. The other men were watching some movie in one of the quarters so he might probably be the only one not with them. He noticed her appearance had changed a little; her golden hair was beautifully trimmed but remained long, her dress is fresh, clean and white but the only thing that remained the same was her lack of flesh. She's much too scrawny but not so much as though she was starving.

"How come you're running away all the time?" He asked her curiously but she didn't respond. "You're not gonna answer me at all are you?" He sighed and made to leave when she suddenly tugged at his shirt.

She tapped her throat. "You can't speak?" She shook her head. He finally realized her condition so he sat back down. "So what are you doing here?"

She fingered her chin while thinking how to answer him when she made a gesture of a steering wheel. "Wheel? Steering? Uhh, car? No? Bigger? A truck?" She nodded before placing both her hands together. "Together? Hands together?" She shook her head as Eugene scratches the back of his head in frustration. "This is tougher than I thought." Then it struck him." You were tied up?" She nodded in reply.

"Did we tie you up?" She shook her head and pointed up towards the sky. "Sky?" She got a little frustrated with herself as well and spelled it out on the ground with much difficulty. 'Home tied me.'

"If it's your home that tied you up, why are you running away all the time?" He asked her without a single thought of how that might have sounded to her.

She stood up and placed both hands on her hips. "Would you stay here?" She mouthed those words although no voice can be heard, he more or less understood her at that point. "Well, what can you do?" She slapped his head. "Ouch! What? What did I say?"

"What are you here for?" She mouthed.

"I'm a medic here," He said with an uncertainty in his voice to which she didn't seem to have noticed. She placed his hands in hers and smiles; he figured it was the first genuine smile he's seen so far.

"What is it? I? Me? Same? We're the same?" She nodded at first and then shook her head. She pointed at Eugene's cross arm band all the while mouthing a word which he didn't quite catch so she had it spelled; 'hiler', he didn't understand what she meant but when he placed the word with medic he raised an eyebrow at her. "Do you mean healer?" She nodded.

"One? No? Umm, first? First clock? First time?" She nodded. "Your first time look? Meet? First time meeting another healer?" She nodded again in delight. "Well I guess a medic is a healer too in some sense." He chuckled slightly. "Oh I never introduced myself, I'm Gene. Eugene Roe. Your name was Aurora right?" She nodded. He extended his hand for her but she didn't get it so he took her hand in his and shook it.

That afternoon, they spent their time trying to talk to each other; it was rather difficult since she wasn't able to speak, he also learned that she wasn't able to read or write properly either, kinda like a young toddler who just started elementary school. He offered to help teach her read and write starting with her name; it wasn't long before the other men joined in as well when Eugene introduced her to them as well as explaining her situation to them. She still tries to run away from Evans and Sobel but the men of Easy Company were busy teaching her in their spare time she didn't try to run away as much anymore. Winters and Nixon who were finally informed about her situation a month after she was brought to Camp Toccoa were quite shocked to find out about her inability to speak, Doc Roe was probably the only one she told willingly and it was a good idea he informed them.

"She says she's a healer," The Doc revealed to Winters privately one day while the men were busy teaching her some words.

"A healer? You mean like a nurse?"

"I think she's more like an actual healer rather than a nurse. A nurse wouldn't be tied up and brought somewhere in an army truck but she don't know where she was going."

"She was tied up?"

"Yes sir."

"Alright. Thanks Doc," Winters dismissed Eugene who went to join the men in teaching her.

"So all this time you was not speaking not because you didn't like us?" Bill Guarnere asked; he spoke with a kind of Italian mafia accent. She nodded and recalled that she did have someone she didn't like so Aurora raised a finger.

"One? Guy? One guy? You don't like one guy?" Joe Toye asked.

She looked at them with an are-you-seriously-asking-me-that face but before she could answer them the guy she dislikes made an appearance while yelling. "You people are to stand before me at attention," Aurora sensed he didn't seem to be in a good mood so she sat a bit farther away but close enough to hear him fussing about something at them.

"Private Perconte, have you been blousing your trousers over your boots like a paratrooper?"

"No sir," The one name Perconte replied; a short twenty five year old guy with dark hair and eyes.

"Then explain the creases at the bottom."

"No excuse sir," He said after hesitating for a moment.

"Volunteering for the parachute infantry is one thing Perconte but you got a long way to go before you prove you belong here. Your weekend pass is revoked."

Sobel went off to inspect the others and stopped at a rather short soldier. "Name."

"Luz, George," Aurora noticed Sobel inspecting his gun for about a second or two before commenting on it. Aurora remembered that Luz is always all smiles but when in front of Sobel his smile was upside down. Luz is a bit taller than Aurora's height although today he seems to have shrunk when in front of Sobel.

"Dirt in the rear sight aperture. Pass revoked," He gave the gun back and started going around inspecting more of them before stopping at a Sergeant Lipton. "When did you sew on these chevrons Sergeant Lipton?" He pulled something from his sleeve.

"Yesterday sir," Lipton answered.

"Long enough to notice this," Sobel said holding up a string. "Revoked."

"Sir," Aurora noticed Lipton glaring at Sobel as he moves towards another soldier and stopped.

"Name."

"Malarkey, Donald G," Said Malarkey as he presented his gun to him.

"Malarkey that is slang for bullshit isn't it?" Sobel asked while snatching the gun from him.

"Yes sir."

"Rust on the butt plate hinge spring private bullshit, revoked," He tossed the gun back at Malarkey after a thorough inspection or at least to him it seems like a thorough inspection.

As Sobel walked away, a soldier name Warren "Skip" Muck who was in front of him glanced over his shoulder and gave him a worried look before looking in front again in case Sobel noticed it.

"Name," He heard Sobel say to Liebgott. Aurora remembered him to be the first one to speak to her when she was first brought here.

"Liebgott, Joseph D, sir," Liebgott held up his gun for Sobel to inspect but Sobel had other ideas as he reached for his Bayonet.

"Rusty Bayonet Liebgott. You want to kill Germans?"

"Yes sir."

"Not with this," He replied while smacking Liebgott's helmet with the Bayonet before making his way towards the front with it where everyone could see him.

"I wouldn't take this rusty piece of shit to war and I will not take you to war in your condition. Now thanks to these men and their infractions, every man in the company who had a weekend pass has lost it," He paused but only just briefly. "Change into your PT gear, we're running Currahee," He glared at them before leaving, he really didn't seem to be in a good mood today.

"2nd Platoon, fall out. You have two minutes," Winters ordered them before he turns to Aurora. "You, my dear girl, will join us."

"You want her to run with us?" Lipton asked when he heard.

"Well, seeing as how she's going to cause trouble for Private Evans yet again, we might as well train her to run better," Winters chuckled at his own joke but Aurora took it seriously as she boxed the palm of her hand as though an idea has struck her.

"Sir, I think you just gave her a mischievous idea," Lipton chuckled. He went back to his bunk to change into his PT gear before assembling the men into formation to run Currahee.

About 5 minutes later, everyone was already in their PT gear and running up that damn hill; a while back there was a slight tension in air when Martin was telling Perconte off for making Sobel angry but he defended himself by saying Sobel was angry at everyone. Lipton came in just time to save the day and they were okay now; mostly it was because they were trying to figure out what the golden haired mute was doing running with them in her white dress and bare footed at that but she didn't complain at all.

"Young lady, what are you doing here?" Sobel yelled at her but she didn't respond so his face began to change colour. "I asked you a question and you will answer it."

"Permission to speak sir?" Winters began and Sobel nodded. "She's a mute sir, so even if you yelled, she wouldn't be able to answer."

"Very well, carry on," He ran further in front yelling 'High-Ho Silver'. Aurora tugs the red headed lieutenant's shirt in thanks.

"What do we run?" Sobel began shouting from the front.

"Currahee!" They replied.

"And what does Currahee mean?"

"We stand alone!"

"How far up? How far down?"

"Three miles up, three miles down!"

"What company is this?"

"EASY COMPANY!"

"And what do we do?"

"Stand alone!"

"Ah!" Skip Muck rolled his ankle and Malarkey supported him with his arm when Sobel starts yelling or rather scolding them.

"Do not help that man! Do not help that man! We do not stop!" He ran forward. "You got 30 minutes to get to the top of this mountain, if you want to serve in the paratroopers. High-Ho Silver."

Aurora wished she was deaf instead of mute around this time, she also found it to be a rather odd motto but ignored it and tried her very best to run along with them even if she was about to faint. Weeks had passed since she first tried to run with them, the first few days she practically felt like dying but after a while she was able to catch up with them. Aurora became less scrawny but not as muscular as the guys; just a toned, healthier body although she was still skinny as heck. She mainly ran with them instead of going through all the training sessions although there were times she joined and became used to following the men. Speaking of the men, she became a lot closer to them as the weeks passed; particularly with Eugene and Shifty although the others grew attached to her too but they still have a hard time speaking to her; she was mainly seen often with Winters, trailing behind him like a kitten. Aurora was looking for Winters when she witnessed Sobel yelling something at Private Walter "Smokey" Gordon; she tugged at Shifty's shirt to get his attention as Talbert and another soldier smiled at her.

"Oh hello Aurora." He smiled at her and she pointed towards Smokey. "Smokey seems to have made him angry one point or another although we don't really know the whole story."

"Sobel's been ticked off lately so Gordon is just the victim." Talbert added.

"What is it Aurora? Run? Are we gonna run with him?" She nodded. "It's a good idea."

The three of them bid her goodbye to join Smokey running Currahee; she smiled at their loyalty towards each other and went of looking for Winters. She found him talking to Nixon in their quarters so she joined the two of them while other Lt from different Fox and Able Company eyed her; they weren't exactly used to her yet. An hour later; Sobel came in to inspect the place so Aurora sneaked behind him and ran out; she waited for about half an hour before Sobel exited along with Winters to inform him he's been promoted.

"Col. Sink has seen fit to promote you." She heard Sobel telling him. She was hiding because she didn't want to have anything to do with Sobel. "As First Lieutenant, you'll serve as my executive officer. Congratulations."

"Thank you sir." Winters nodded as Sobel tries to put on the badge.

"And, as a test of your organizational skills and command potential, I am designating you mess officer for 14 days. Report to the mess kitchen at 0515 hours. Company breakfast to be served at 0600.

"Yes sir."

"Oh and Dick; there's rain forecast tomorrow." Sobel began as they walked and Aurora quietly followed from behind. "So the company will have a light afternoon of lecture and classroom instruction. I think a special meal before their afternoon off would be a welcome change of pace would you agree?" He asked Winters.

"Yes sir."

"I like spaghetti."

* * *

 

~Next Day. ~

Aurora was already up and about that morning because she wanted to see exactly what Winters will be doing under Sobel's orders. She followed him all the way to the mess kitchen where he was ordering them preparing breakfast for the Commanding Officers who have a meeting of sorts and lunch for the men before their afternoon off. She didn't know what was on Sobel's mind but she left Winters to his job and walked around a bit to see what new information she can obtain. As she walked away, the COs greeted her a good morning as they passed by to have their breakfast while the other men were up and about having a bit of relaxation before having lunch at 1100 hours. Aurora was snooping around Sobel's quarters to gather a bit of information and simply check on his mood swings so that she can warn Winters if his mood turned sour. Finally at 1100 hours, the men of Easy Company were headed towards the canteen to have their lunch.

"This stuff is orange. Spaghetti ain't supposed to be orange." One of them was complaining about the food.

"This ain't spaghetti. Its army noodles with ketchup." Perconte corrected him as Guarnere sat down with them. Aurora came into the canteen and was running towards Winters looking worried. "Oh hey it's Aurora."

"What is it?" Winters asked her. "Running? Someone is running?" She nodded and pointed towards the men. "Oh for crying out loud."

Crying out loud was right; Sobel barged right in telling them their orders has changed and that they're running up Currahee. "Three miles up, three miles down. High-Ho Silver!" He smirked at Winters and left.

"You're sorry?" Winters looked at her before patting her head. "Nah, I think he would still make their lives miserable anyway but thank you for warning us." He smiled at her. "Once I'm done here, I'll get changed and we can go run with them." She nodded in agreement and waited for him.

Aurora likes Winters because he's a damn good man and she wondered why Sobel was the one giving orders and not him. Winters finished his duties as mess officer and changed into his PT gear before the two of them headed out to Currahee. Along the way they noticed the men weren't feeling so good and Sobel was yelling something, they heard Luz started to encourage them with their infantry song and Winters followed suit.

_We fall upon the risers,_

_We fall upon the grass,_

_We never land upon our feet,_

_We always hit our ass,_

_Highty tighty, Christ Almighty,_

_Who the hell are we?_

_Zim-Zam Goddamn,_

_We're Airborne Infantry._

Sobel stopped a bit because he was tired as he inhaled and exhaled. Winters passed by Sobel who looked proud of his accomplishment and smirked at the red head but Winters just ignored it and continued on with the song in order to raise morale. By the end of the run, all of them were sent back to their bunks to rest and recover since they did run Currahee after eating. Aurora was running to and fro making sure they all had taken their medicine before Sobel starts training them again.

"That guy is impossible. It's no wonder he ain't got a girl." Bill complained as Aurora placed a cold towel on his head. "Thanks Aurora."

"I'm sure he was put here for reason." Shifty defended the guy. Shifty is a good man, polite and a gentlemen so it wasn't surprising that he said it although he wonders about what he just said himself.

"You keep saying that Shifty but not even Aurora likes the man." Said Luz from his bed.

"Speaking of Aurora, you don't have to run with us all the time." Liebgott reassured her as she gave him a glass of water and medicine to swallow.

"Yeah. You've gotten a lot better at running; you can outrun Will now and leave right?" Said Joe Toye.

She stared at the lot of them and ignored that question; she finished handing out the medicine and treated them before making to leave when Eugene tugged her dress. "Thanks for today." She smiled but no sooner was it replaced with a frown the moment Evans came in out of nowhere. "Come on missus, out you go."

"Go on." Eugene smiled at her.

Other than Sobel, she found Private Evans to be a pain in the ass but he can't help it since he's following orders. She sighed, grabbed her stuff and made to leave when she bowed to her friends as well as pointing to them; a gesture they understood as 'eat your medicine'. Evans followed her from behind as he scurried along like a puppy following his master; the men found the guy tolerable as long as they have nothing to do with the man he works under.

"I don't get why she's being watched all the time." Guarnere commented the moment they left.

"She's kinda like a hostage here." Webster agreed.

"Probably that's why she won't leave?" Malarkey added.

"Either that or the Doc has gotten her to stay." Luz teased but there was silent in the air before all of them stood in front of Eugene's bed.

"What?" He looked at them.

"You don't suppose you could talk her out of it right Doc?" Luz began.

"We could take care of her here so there's really no need for her to go anywhere. We was only kidding when we wanted her to leave." Said Guarnere.

"Powers is able to talk her out of it." He pointed out.

Darrel 'Shifty' Powers and Eugene Roe were rather close to her; Shifty is because of his gentlemanly attitude that won her trust instantly while Eugene is because he's the first one who she told about her inability to speak.

Joseph Liebgott is close to her too but mainly because he always bumps into her when she tries to escape and much to her dismay he brings her right back.

Joe Toye has a certain attachment to the kid like she was his own sister so he can be overly protective of her. She figured he would be a doting father one day if he's such a doting brother to her now.

Bill Guarnere thinks of her as his little sister too but he's not as overly protective as Joe Toye although he nags at her when she's up to no good despite the two of them being the cause of the troubles.

David Webster is in charge of teaching her how to read since he's the only one who seems to have graduated from Harvard although in reality he probably hasn't finished yet.

She's often seen with Richard 'Dick' Winters because he's in charge of her so when she finds out new information on Sobel she relays it to Winters knowing that if she told the rest of the men they would probably gossip about it.

George Luz is the funny guy of the group and he often imitates people's voice. His trait won him many friends as well as enemies along the way but that's just the way it works. Aurora thinks he's funny although sometimes she didn't get his joke.

In the months to come they have been training jumping out of a mock plane; a training session that interested Aurora but Sobel wouldn't even allow her. She glared at him and pointed a finger at the guy. "What? What she's saying"

"What is it Aurora?" Winters asked her. "He? Capt. Sobel? Chopped? No? Three over two? Oh you mean unfair?" She nodded. "You want something?" She jumped up and down. "You want to jump with us?" She nodded again. "Well there you go sir."

"I don't understand." Sobel raised an eyebrow.

"She wants to jump with us sir."

"We can't bring her to war. She's a woman and she can't even speak." Sobel dismissed them.

"Don't think too much about it alright." Winters told her.

She felt so annoyed at Sobel but he wasn't wrong; being unable to speak is a liability for a soldier. Winters noticed her expression and pat her head. "Hey Lew, got a minute?" He left her to think while he talks to Nixon.

* * *

 

~Battalion Headquarters. ~

It was raining that day so Aurora had to stay indoors with the Colonel when Winters and Nixon asked permission to enter his office which he allowed. Despite being under Winters, there are times when she's stationed in Col. Sink's quarters especially when it's raining outside or when the men are out having a lecture class which she wasn't able to participate in but she didn't mind it. She was always being doted on by him as though she was his own granddaughter and she adored him as she looks to him like her own grandfather.

"I hope you have a damn good reason as to why you both are here when you should be in lecture." Said the Colonel behind his desk.

"Yes sir. I would like to ask for your permission to allow Aurora to jump with us." Winters stood before him at attention.

"I hear Capt. Sobel didn't allow it." He raised an eyebrow. The girl in question was looking at her two friends with curiosity.

"Permission to speak sir." Nixon stepped forward and stood in attention.

"Granted."

"The girl is unable to speak, that in itself is an advantage don't you think? She also has talent to gather information in a very discreet way. She doesn't know how to hold a gun or anything like that but her ability to heal is necessary in times of war. She can help the Doc as his medic assistant or something." He finished.

"You have a good point." Sink nodded and turned to Winters. "She's in your care isn't she Dick?"

"Yes sir."

"The decision is actually up to you and not Capt. Sobel." The old man smiled at him. Winters thanked and saluted him. "Aurora, did you get all that?" He turned to the girl; she hugged the old man in delight. "Alright, out you go now."

She was so happy that she left to find Eugene; Winters and Nixon were chuckling in delight too. "Aurora, don't run too fast or you'll-" He wasn't able to finish his sentence when she really did fall down but got back up again.

Aurora barge right into one of the quarters where Eugene was staying in along with Toye, Perconte, Malarkey, Guarnere, Luz, Liebgott and Shifty were present. "Hey Aurora." They smiled at her.

She sat down on the side of Eugene's bed and begins to tell him the good news. "What is it?" He asked. "You? Fall? You fell again?" She slapped his head although she did fell before she entered the bunk; she was rather clumsy that way. She stood up and jumped. "You're jumping with us?" She nodded. "Cold? You're cold? No? Snow? Winters?" She nodded at Luz.

The men of Easy enjoyed trying to figure out what she was telling them as though it's all a game. "Winters cross? No? Uhh, medic? Helped? Winters helped you along with Nixon?" She nodded and pointed at the sink. "Sink allowed it? Now you're under Doc as a healer?" She nodded.

"Well you better stay close to us young lady." Toye reminded her.

"Wouldn't want the enemies to shoot you." Liebgott ruffled up her hair.

"Yeah, like the enemy would want to shoot her. Her running abilities are bit over the top." Guarnere teased.

"I could teach you how to fire a gun Aurora." Shifty offered.

Once she's gotten they're approval, she was finally able to go for jump training sessions with the men much to Sobel's dismay. He didn't like it one bit, even more so than when Winters was promoted. Weeks has passed since her first jump training before they actually jump off a plane to earn their jump wings and she was enjoying it.

"So we all think we are ready to be army paratroopers?" The jump instructor asked.

"Yes sir." They replied along with a nod from Aurora.

"I hope so. This will be the first of five exits from a C-47 Aircraft scheduled for today. Upon the successful completion of your fifth and final jump, you will be certified army paratroopers. There will be a lot of men dropping from the sky today. Oh and woman. Sorry Aurora." He teased her and they all laughed.

"Hopefully under deployed canopies." He added. "Jumping from 1000 AGL sticks per aircraft. All you have to do is remember what you were taught and I guarantee gravity will take care of the rest. And rest assured any refusal in the aircraft or at the door and I guarantee you, you will be out of the airborne."

"Let's do this!" They shouted in delight.

Everyone left for their assigned groups; Aurora was with Shifty, Toye, Luz, Perconte, Malarkey, Guarnere, Popeye, Bull and Cobb.

"Are you going be alright Aurora?" Shifty asked her as they hopped on the plane. She nodded.

"You be careful now little missy." Toye ruffled her hair.

"All of us? Worrisome bunch?" Luz chuckled and she nodded. "Well we'll see you on the ground."

They had equipment sound check; she only had to tap the shoulder three times to inform the person in front of her that she was good to go before the green light turned on and she jumped. The feeling of jumping out a flying aircraft was too wonderful and she enjoyed it although months from now she would probably have a different opinion of it. She landed right next to Eugene who helped her with her parachute and checked if she was okay.

"Are you alright?" She nodded. "That's a relief. Mm? What is it? Me? Fell? Oh feel? How did I feel?" She nodded again. "It was alright I guess but once we go to war maybe it won't feel the same." She nodded in agreement before pointing back to camp. "Camp? Go back? Right. Come on."

The two of them made their way back to base to try again so that they would be used to it; the rest of the men were more than happy to get back on that plane and jump. After a number of jumps, they celebrated getting their jump wings; Aurora doesn't drink so Luz gave her a tall glass of fizzy soda. She sat in between Eugene and Shifty, celebrating together with them while counting down with the rest of the boys who were encouraging Guarnere to drink up.

"High-Ho Silver." He cried with a smile on his face. "Hey Aurora, aren't you gonna drink?" She shook her head. "You don't drink huh?"

"What are you doing corrupting her into a drinking looney like yourself?" Perconte teased.

"She's much better off drinking soda. I don't think she's ever drunk alcohol before this." Shifty told them. She tugged at his shirt and placed a finger on her lips. "What is it?"

"Attention!" They heard Sobel cry as Col. Sink made an appearance to congratulate the men on getting their wings; he also congratulated Aurora for achieving it as well. "Currahee!" He toasted and the men did the same.

That night was a night of celebration; the men had a jolly good time, Aurora had a bad feeling but casted it aside to join them and have a good time herself. She left the tavern to enjoy a little walk by herself; she sat down on the hill overlooking the tavern and glanced upon the moon.

"What are you doing out here?" She was startled when Liebgott came to sit next to her. "Sorry, did I scare you?" She shook her head and pointed towards the sky. "Sky?" He looked up and noticed the moon. "Oh you're glancing at the moon?" She nodded. "It is a nice night isn't it?"

She stood up, pointed towards herself and twirled around in delight. "You want to spin?" She raised an eyebrow and shook her head only to have him laugh. "You want to dance?" She nodded in delight. "Well, alright. Knock yourself out."

She was a pretty damn good dancer he thought with her white dress on; she kinda looked like a swan dancing in the night. "Well whaddya know. She can dance. Not great but not bad either." Liebgott muttered. She was so caught up in her dancing that she didn't notice some of the men came to watch as well. "Don't you guys know a date a when you see one?" Liebgott teased them. Once Aurora was done she bowed and everyone clapped their hands.

"That was really good." Luz praised her.

"You danced before?" Guarnere asked her and she nodded. She made a gesture like she was holding a musical instrument. "You was a dancer?" She shook her head. "A performer?" She shook her head again.

"A gypsy?" Popeye muttered and he thought she didn't hear him until she nodded in delight at him.

"You was them gypsy broad?" Guarnere asked her.

"So that's why you can heal and why your eyes are of a different colour from ours." Eugene added and she nodded her head sadly. "So what happened to your family?" She didn't know how to answer so she shook her head. "You don't know?"

"Maybe if you stay with us you'll find them?" Shifty suggested and she smiled instantly.

"Aww shucks Aurora. If you wanted to find your family you could have just said so, we'll help you find them." Said Popeye.

"Yeah, we could help you out." Liebgott offered.

"Did you look like your mom? Your dad maybe?" Martin asked her but she shook her head.

"You don't remember them?" Eugene asked and she smiled sadly. "So that means you were already taken from your family when you were young?"

"Gosh Aurora. What about your inability to speak?" Shifty asked her and she gestured as though she was cradling something. "So you weren't able to speak since you were a baby?" She nodded.

"Well, don't you worry about a thing. We'll do our best to communicate with ya." Popeye had his arm over his shoulder. She looked at her friends and smiled at them as they agreed.

"We'll start with your family first." Eugene patted her head.

They all agreed to help find her family and maybe it won't turn out so bad she thought to herself; that night they were alright but it won't be long before their lives will begin to change and it'll start with Camp Mackall, N.C.

* * *

 

~End of Chapter One. ~


	2. D Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The men of Easy Company are getting ready to go to war when Col. Sink assigns them to a task that's only befitting for the best soldiers. What would happen if the task they were assigned to gives them a lot of trouble along the way?
> 
> Follow Aurora and the men of Easy as they prepare for the jump of their lives as D Day approaches.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope it was to your liking~ Anywhooo, here's chapter two. Enjoy. :D

**Chapter Two**

* * *

 

~June 23rd, 1943. ~

Camp Mackall, N.C.

The men of Easy Company were in training today; Aurora was with them too since she needed to know how the infantry works, she's a fast learner and a hard worker as she wanted to keep up with them. Aurora is under Eugene as his assistant as well as being under Winters to gather information about certain things though its mainly self proclaimed because Winters has no knowledge she's been doing it secretly. One day as they were having a training session; Sobel was leading Easy for field practice but somehow along the way, he began to get jumpy on the field.

"Petty," He called in a whispering tone. "Map. Come," The soldier named Petty sighed while cursing under his breath and went towards Sobel with the map. He grabbed the map out of his hands and began to examine it while panicking. "We're in the wrong position." He's face became pale and his eyes widened like a lost puppy.

Aurora who was sitting behind him next to Eugene heard what is being said and she saw Winters quietly making his way towards Sobel to check what's wrong. "We're in the wrong position," He told Winters.

"We're in textbook position for ambush sir," Winters reassured him. "We should sit tight. Let the enemy team come into our killing zone."

"They're right out somewhere, let's just get them." Sobel whimpered, pushing Winters lightly.

"Sir, we have perfect cover here."

"Lieutenant, deploy your troops," Sobel went passed Winters.

She tugged on Eugene's sleeve with a grim look on her face. "I know that face, you think so too huh? Well we should be thankful it's just practice."

"2nd Platoon, move out," Winters ordered them. The soldiers gave him a puzzled look. "Tactical column. Aurora, stay close with me," She nodded. They began to move out under Sobel's orders but it wasn't long before the enemy team appeared and pointed their gun towards them.

"Captain, you've just been killed with 95% of your company. Your outfit?" They training instructor appeared and asked Sobel. He looked at Aurora and back at Sobel before shaking his head. Ever since she stepped foot into Camp Mackall, the officers were giving her nothing but trouble though it subsided after awhile, realizing that she's capable of handling the workload despite her inability to speak.

"Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th," He replied.

"Leave three wounded men on the ground and report back to the assembly area."

"Goddammit," Sobel cursed under his breath. The men looked like they want to kill the guy but Aurora stared at them and shook her head. "You, you, you," He pointed at three men before leaving.

Once the training was over; Sobel's infamous popularity rises in regards to what happened and it didn't stop there, there were a number of times he got jumpy on the field and couldn't make good decisions. Lt. Harry Welsh made his way to the Lt's quarters where he found Winters, Nixon and Aurora talking about what to do in regards to Sobel leading the men. Harry Welsh; a new Second Lieutenant who was a reluctant officer, in April he volunteered for the paratroopers and was assigned to the 504th PIR of the 82nd Airborne, after jump school he was made sergeant. A tough little Irishman that had gotten busted to Private a number of times due to engaging in combat. His Company Commander noticed his leadership potential and recommended Welsh for OCS.

"Am I interrupting?" Asked the small Lt.

"No, no. Lt Lewis Nixon, Aurora, Lt Harry Welsh, just in from the 82nd," Winters introduced them.

"Congratulations on the promotion." He shook Nixon's hand. Aurora stood behind Winters since she was not used to new people.

"Thanks if you wanna call it that; you'll learn him pretty quickly. No flaws, no vices, no sense of humour but you'll have a hard time dealing with Aurora."

"Just like your chums up at battalion staff?" Winters joked regarding himself.

"Why would I have a hard time dealing with her?"

"She can't speak so you'll have to learn how to understand her way of translating herself," Winters pushed her forward. "Aurora, be nice to the man," She shook his hand and smiled shyly before hiding behind Winters again. "So what's up?" Winters asked him.

"I've been hearing a lot of ramblings," He admitted.

"Sobel? We were just talking about that," Nixon nodded.

"So he gets a little jumpy on the field?"

"He gets jumpy and then you get killed," Aurora smiled at Nixon's description which rhymed.

"That's nice."

"Yeah, listen, if we're going to discuss it, I think it should be amongst ourselves." Winters suggested. Aurora heard footsteps nearing so she tugged his sleeve when speak of the devil; Sobel entered while eating an apple.

He looked at them as they stood at attention before him; he didn't even cast a glance at the young maiden but she didn't care since they share a mutual understanding to not like each other. "2nd Platoon ready?" He asked them while munching on his fruit.

"Ready sir," Winters nodded.

"Then get them in formation, we're moving out."

"Yes sir," Winters nodded. "Aurora, come along."

Harry, Winters and Aurora left to get the men into formation; Sobel looked at Nixon as though inspecting him before taking a bite of his apple and leaving. Nixon chuckled to himself and starts packing to leave. Aurora has authority to get the men into formation because she's under Winters but because of who she is she can't be promoted, not that she wants to anyway. She knocked on every door to get the men up and about; most of them still didn't understand what she's saying so they had those that did understand her to translate to them. At the end of May, the men of Easy were packing away to join the other companies of the 506th for a stop-and-go train ride to Sturgis, Kentucky and as they waited, she heard Joe Toye, Liebgott, Cobb, Shifty and another soldier discussing about Sobel; something that should not be discussed out in the open like that if they don't want to get in trouble.

"Shut up Cobb," Joe Toye warned him since he knew that Aurora would definitely report back to Winters about this because she didn't like Cobb at all and would jump at any given chance to get him in trouble. "Hey Aurora, you won't be reporting this to Winters now would you?"

They saw that she was smiling but they don't know whether she'll actually report back or not so Shifty came to the rescue. "We promise we won't talk about it anymore Aurora," She sat down on her knees in front of him and stared. "Really, I'm telling the truth." She pointed at Cobb.

"What? What did I do?" He scoffed.

"You pissed her off again didn't you Cobb?" Liebgott nudged him.

"Don't worry, I promise," Shifty was getting better in understanding what she wants to say. She smiled and left them to continue discussing where they left off but discreetly.

* * *

~Few Hours Later. ~

They finally boarded the train; the men were in different compartments while the high ranking officers were all at the front compartment along with Aurora because Winters insisted her not to leave his side much to a lot of the guys disappointment. Aurora sat at the window seat enjoying the view next to Winters who was writing in his journal while Harry was sleeping in front of her; Winters chuckled at the young girl and she turned to him, tilting her head slightly in wonder.

"Is this your first time on a train?" She nodded. "You've never been out much huh?" She shook her head. "What was home like?" She shook her head again. "You must not have too many fond memories of it," She shook her head sadly and turned to face the window again as though in deep thought.

She then turned to him and tugged at his sleeve. "What is it? You… want to… try something? Many things? Steering wheel?" She shook her head. "A car?" She nodded. "You want to try to drive? Go for a drive?" She nodded again in delight. "Yeah, that's a nice idea. Once the war is over, I'll take you for a drive in the countryside. You'll enjoy it a lot," He pats her head before withdrawing it the moment when Nixon came to tell them where they're going.

Aurora had no interest in where they're going so she stared out the window again to enjoy the view as the boys talk to each other about their destination. She flinched at the name England; Winters noticed it and assumed she's either from England or she has been there before and not have many good memories of it.

* * *

~September 18th, 1943. ~

Aldbourne, England.

Aurora was waiting for the men to get back from their training today as she sat in the canteen by herself trying to read what Webster gave her to improve her reading even just a little. She only takes part in practical training rather than the theory training since she can't read or write as of yet but most of the time she learns what a medic does in the army. There were a few times where she felt incredibly bored and wanted to do more but because none of the guys had the time for her, she was stuck having to finish her homework but she did enjoy her time with Eugene at the infantry to learn more about medicine.

"Do you understand?" Eugene asked her one day and she nodded. "Well you don't really have to know every single thing about all these medicine and stuff since you're a healer."

She gave him a puzzled look. "You can take away their pain can't you?" She nodded. "It must hurt every time you do it," She shook her head. "You want to help?" She nodded.

Aurora remembered that Webster gave her some homework; she took it out of her bag and showed it to him. "You've gotten better at writing at least, can you read better now? A little huh?" She smiled sheepishly. "Don't worry; you'll improve the more we teach you since you're a fast learner," He smiled gently at her.

It wasn't long before she heard the news about Sobel being reassigned somewhere else; she assumed it had something to do with Winters's court martial that took place the other day. Of course she was extremely happy that Sobel won't be leading the men to war because she'd rather not have any of them killed on the first day but at the same time she felt a little sorry. Just a little. News regarding the matter travelled fast and so her ability in gathering information has greatly improved; she also found out about what all the sergeants have done for Winters but she kept it to herself. She didn't know how long they'll be staying in England but that didn't dampened her spirits despite the trouble she'll face during her time there.

* * *

~May 31st, 1944. ~

Upottery, England.

It had been eight months since they first came to England and it was finally time for the jump of their lives; literally. During their eight month stay, there have been many events that happened but she just didn't want to think about anything else but the jump today and that was important. Buck Compton had just arrived in Easy Company and he's already well liked among the men although Winters thinks his gambling habit should be fixed. As Winters attended a strategy meeting with their new Lt; Lt. Meehan, Aurora was making her rounds to see if everyone was nice and comfy before the jump.

"Hey Aurora," The men said in a sing song voice. She noticed Buck and hid behind Joe Toye; she's still rather shy. "Oh right, this here is Buck Compton. Buck this is Aurora," Joe Toye introduced them.

"I heard of you, you're under the Doc right?" Buck asked her and she nodded. She pointed at the tent that Winters was in as well. "Tent?" He didn't understand her.

"Who's in that tent Buck?" Luz asked him.

"Dick and Meehan, why?"

"Ah so that's it. She wanted to tell you she's also under Winters," Liebgott told him. "She can't speak just so you know." Liebgott ruffled her hair which made her puff her cheeks and pouted at him though her hair just simply fell back into place.

"I've been here 6 days and yet this is the first time someone told me in full detail about her. Just great," Buck chuckled.

Aurora tapped Joe Toye's shoulder. "What is it? A point? You want to make a point?" She nodded. "Alright. No, I feel fine. There's no need for you to worry. Yup. Really," She gave him a you-better-be look and turns to the rest of them.

"We'll be fine too Aurora," Luz reassured her and so did the rest of them. She smiled and left as soon as she saw Winters leave the tent.

"You guys must be really close," Buck was impressed.

"After two years of trying to figure out how to communicate with her we're doing okay. The only ones who can totally understand what she's saying are the Doc, Lt Winters and Shifty," Said Joe Toye, shrugging his shoulders.

"Don't worry yourself Buck; she'll open up to you in no time. It took us months so we wish you good luck," Luz joked, patting Buck on the back and laughed just to tease him.

"Great," Buck groaned, shaking his head but he made it point to try and get along with Aurora cause he had a feeling that she'd be extremely important to him as she was to everyone else in Easy.

About an hour later, Aurora was going around making sure everyone has got their supplies of medications when she hears Joe Toye complaining about how much all his stuff weighed as much as he did and yet still wants a brass knuckle. She saw Talbert had gotten a gun from his friend in the police force as a present and Luz reading out Col. Sink's message using an imitation of his voice which made her laugh because he did sound like Col. Sink though now it made her miss the old man she looked up to like a grandfather. They were getting ready to hop into the plane when Lt. Meehan made an announcement.

"Easy Company, listen up! Channel coast is socked in with rain and fog; no jump tonight," Aurora noticed his face hadn't changed a bit as he said it compared to everyone else's faces. "The invasion has been postponed. We're on a 24 hour stand down."

The men got over it quickly enough because they went back to relax that night by watching a movie while Aurora was sitting outside with Webster who was teaching her how to read. She shook her head in disapproval. It annoyed her greatly that she couldn't do much more than now and that her inability to talk would be at a great disadvantage for the men.

"What's wrong?" He asked her when he noticed she looked so disappointed.

She made a gesture like an open book using both her hands, tapped her throat and shook her head. "You think it's no use since you can't talk?" She nodded.

He knew she made a point but she looked so heartbroken that he wanted to make her happy. "Aww shucks Aurora. I know everything will seem useless now but I'm sure you'll be able to talk one day," He smiled at her as he placed his hand on her chin to make her look up when she couldn't help but look down. "Who knows? Maybe in the future they'll invent something for those who can't speak to be able to speak."

She smiled at his encouraging words even if it was hard to do but she believed him anyway. "So don't lose hope alright?" She nodded and continued reading while mouthing those words. Webster thinks she's gotten better as he looked up the sky and ponders about tomorrow's jump.

* * *

~The Next Day. ~

They finally get to jump; it took them hours to get ready though they were all assembled at their planes just in time to hear the officers give out speeches about how this would be the day they made history and may God protect them. Aurora and Eugene were handing out air sickness medicine to everyone, Aurora wasn't wearing her white dress but there's a high possibility its in her bag somewhere because it seemed odd for the men to see her in army clothes which were too big on her. They're so used to seeing her with her dress even during their practice running up Currahee and when they first received their jump wings.

"Gentleman, the two of them are handing these out for air sickness," Said Meehan. "Orders are; 'Every man take one now, another 30 minutes in the air. Lt," He shook Winters hand to let him talk to his men.

"2nd Platoon, listen up. Good luck. God bless you. I'll see you in the assembly area," He smiles at them and shakes each and everyone of their hand as he helps them up.

Each and every one of them looked up to the man in admiration; they made their way up the plane with a lot of help from each other as everyone carries a lot of weight with them. They knew that under Winters they will have a better chance at surviving and also they knew that this is it, this is where their journey would really begin. Aurora climbed up the plane with the help of the men pushing her up and she sat next to Eugene in the plane, opposite Winters; she was assigned to never leave their sight but she can't really promise anything since no one really knows if they'll land together.

That night as the plane was flying above the clouds smoothly with no interruptions, she fell fast asleep, she didn't know how long she slept but she woke up when the plane ride began to get a little bumpy. Winters looked outside; everything went topsy turvy as they were being shot from below so he had all of them get ready to jump off the plane.

"Equipment check!" He yelled. Aurora stood right in front of him so it's easier for him to know if she's good to go. "Sound off for equipment check!"

All of them checked each other's equipment to see if they're good to go as they yelled from behind all the way to the front. Aurora gave Winters a thumbs up before he himself yelled 'One okay!' and looked towards the outside. "Doc, I'll leave her in your care if we get separated."

"Yes sir!" He nodded. Winters knew that Eugene would never allow anything to happen to Aurora and would risk his life to protect her.

A canon missed a shot but it sent the boys tumbling on the inside; everyone one of them held on tight to their hooks to maintain from falling. Winters held on to Aurora so she wouldn't fall and had to decide on the best course of action right now. There was no way they could wait there or they would be blown to pieces and that was something he couldn't afford. There was a lot of debate going on the front about when to allow the men to jump but as soon as one of them got hit in the head the other turned on the green light too allow the men to just jump out of the plane.

"Let's go!" Winters shouted to his men and jumped of the plane. Aurora nodded and jumped after him followed by Eugene, Nixon and the rest.

She was frightened but she jumped off the plane anyways; Eugene who was on top of her steered himself in her direction so that he would land together with her. He was under strict orders to take care of her anyway so he's trying his best. Her backpack was too heavy for her and it was quite the task but she managed to handle everything a lot better than she expected without hurting herself.

The two of them landed safely near a farm that's caught on fire as they got rid of their parachutes. "Aurora, are you okay?" She nodded but there was a trail of blood coming from her head from when she got cut from one of tree branches earlier so he grabbed her hand to get to safety before checking if she's alright. "We need to take cover at least. Do you have any weapons?" She was able to grab hold of a bayonet though to be quite honest neither of them were very good at using but at least they have a weapon so they weren't exactly defenceless in any way. "That'll do I guess. Come on."

They have have no idea where they are at the moment but he figured anywhere is better than out in the open. He led her towards the woods up ahead in hopes to find someone they know with a weapon or maybe even find the assembly area without running into any enemy. "I don't think they'd shoot the medic but we can't be too careful so stay low," The two of them made their way deeper into the woods; there wasn't a single enemy but they didn't take any chances. They could hear bombs and gunfire shots but none were directed at them and despite how loud it was it didn't seem to have been anywhere near them which was a huge relief.

They walked for what seems to have been an hour or so when she stopped in her tracks suddenly and she tugged his sleeve when she thought she heard something coming from the other direction; Eugene was a medic so she pushed him into the bushes thinking he couldn't fight. He was so startled that she actually pushed him but she had a point so he kept low. "Hey wait a minute. She can't even talk," He got back up and kept her down instead much to her dismay because she really didn't want to be the one to be protected right now. "Flash," He whispered and he heard someone replied back. "Thunder."

Eugene held her back down as they checked to see who it was and they were relieved to see Shifty with a weapon. "Doc is that you?" Shifty was alone and he seemed to have not been injured, not even a scratch and although it was relief on their part it was somewhat a miracle to know that Shifty never gets injured.

"Powers. Are we glad to see you and mainly because you have a weapon." Eugene sighed in relief, getting up and helping Aurora to her feet.

"We?" He noticed Aurora and was so relieved to see that she was alright except of course the blood trailing from her head and he felt a pang of anger rush through his veins at the thought of someone harming her. He didn't show it of course and the two of them didn't notice his anger so he let it go for now. "I'm glad to see you two. Do you have any idea where we are?"

Aurora tugged his sleeve and did a rectangle shape in mid-air using her fingers. "Map? Do I have a map? I think so, hold on," He checked his bag and took out a map. Shifty was on guard while Aurora and Eugene try to figure out where they are; she can read maps since it was drilled on to her the moment she was brought to Camp Mackall. It was a bit dark to see and their only source of light was the moonlight. Shifty lost most of his equipment like his compass and flash-light after the jump though he managed to keep his bag.

"We're here it seems so we need to get here," Eugene pointed above the map, they needed to head North and it was going to be quite the journey especially if they wish to avoid enemy contact. "That's a long way to go; the three of us better move fast and avoid enemy contact." She nodded and gave the map back to Shifty. He was in charge of making sure they don't get shot but Aurora didn't want to take that risk.

"A sniper, a medic and a healer. We're quite the weak formation right now," Shifty led them as they walked deeper into the forest for better camouflage cover. His task now was to protect both Aurora and Eugene but he realized that right now as a man, both Eugene and himself are the ones protecting Aurora except neither of them seem to realize this as of yet though Shifty had always known about his own feelings for the blonde. 

"Let's just get out of harm's way," 

The three of them kept walking and walking for what might have been hours, stopping only once every so often for a breather until they reached what seems to be a barnyard; Shifty raised a hand and told them to hide in the bushes while he checks it out. Aurora stayed close with Eugene though she was extremely worried for Shifty but it doesn't seem to be occupied with enemies so she's hoping nothing would happen. He went closer and closer but no one seems to be around until he noticed a wounded soldier on the ground who's neck was bleeding. He checked to see whether he was okay; there was a slight pulse so he beckons for the other two to get over here and save him.

"He's been shot at the neck, I'm amazed he's not dead yet. You're doing okay," Eugene checked him. He was about to use his morphine when Aurora tugged his sleeve and did the healing process herself. She took away his pain as Eugene bandaged the guy's neck; her healing ability doesn't heal them entirely, she just takes away their pain, she isn't God after all but she will experience what they feel.

"Alright. You'll hold his left side, I'll hold his right."

"I'll do it," Shifty was about to offer but Aurora shook her head and pointed at his gun. "You're right. I need to protect us," She nodded. "Come on, follow me."

Now that they have an extra baggage; they wondered when they'll be able to reach the assembly area before the start of the mission. The medic and his assistant are important in making sure no one gets hurt so they'd have to get there as soon as possible. The three of them kept walking until it finally started to show some light; the sun was about to rise. It was a silent journey expect the occasional grunts from the wounded soldier though he tried his very best to endure the pain just a little longer. They didn't know which company he was from but at the very least he's American or both Eugene and Shifty would have abandoned him just to protect Aurora from any harm. They didn't want any Germans anywhere near her.

"I think we're getting close by," Shifty suddenly told the other two and gestured them to stay low because he still had to be cautious in case they might have taken the wrong turn somewhere and entered enemy territory. "We should hurry and get this man treated."

Aurora nodded in agreement then stuck her neck out like a cat that's on alert. "I hear some noise coming from up ahead," Eugene translated for her, he didn't hear it until after he had to listen closely.

"You two stay here while I go check it out," Shifty went off ahead of them, his eyes were a lot better since he used to hunt back then before he joined the army so it was only natural he'd be a better scout. Aurora and Eugene hid in the bushes along with the wounded soldier so as to take cover and also because the wounded soldier was almost at his limit, he might not make it if they don't hurry and treat him. It took a while but Shifty came back with two soldiers who Eugene recognized from Dog and Able Company to help carry the wounded. "We've reached the assembly area. Private, help that man get to infantry." Shifty told the soldiers and they helped the wounded soldier to the infantry.

"Finally, watch his neck," Eugene told the two men as they hurried to get him treated. Aurora, Eugene and Shifty proceeded to search for the rest of Easy Company. They were glad a number of them made it who were also glad to see the three of them although mainly relieved to know Aurora is safe and sound even if she was slightly wounded on the head.

"Aurora, Doc, Shifty. Boy, are we glad to see you," Liebgott shook their hands and hugged Aurora tightly. He meant it, he had been worried sick thinking about her after he jumped off the plane and it motivated him to get to the assembly area even faster.

Aurora looked around and Liebgott noticed her expression. "Lt. Winters isn't here yet but he'll show up sooner or later Aurora." All of them knew that Aurora's first priority is Winters no matter what the situation was and it showed when she showed her worry he's not arrived as of yet.

"Speak of the devil, there he is now," Buck nodded at her to look over her shoulder which she did and there was that smile all of them were waiting to see.

Winters came with Lipton, Guarnere, Toye and some other soldiers she didn't recognize. She was so glad to see them all in one piece; they were pretty glad to see her too. "Glad to see the little missy still in one piece," Toye ruffled Aurora's hair while Guarnere gave her a hug like Liebgott did though his was more like a teddy bear hug. Buck headed over to Winters to be briefed about their next course of action as well as the men that didn't make it to the assembly area.

The rest of them had to wait for orders so they rested up as much as they need to or who knows when will be the next time they have this luxury. They all talked and played cards, laughing just to release the tension. Aurora tugged at Toye's sleeve and pointed at the unknown face; he was a fresh boy with a pretty face whom she did not recognize so he most likely came from another company. He was pretty young, probably about her age and he seemed too nice to be in the army, Aurora wondered if he would be okay.

"This is Hal. Hal, this is Aurora," Toye introduced them. 

"Better known as cowboy." Guarnere added.

"You from Texas?" Liebgott asked him.

"Manhattan." He replied. Aurora took both his hands and shook it albeit shyly before hiding behind Toye. "Are you a nurse, ma'am?" He asked her.

She looked at Lipton with a puzzled face. "She's a medic of sorts and you'll have a hard time talking to her."

"Why's that?"

"She can't speak," Toye gently nudged her. Hal looked at her in disbelief as she smiled at him. Eugene who was watching from afar interfered and called over to her to get her to treat the men who got wounded from landing wrongly or getting hit by enemy fire when they landed, anything to get her away from the unfamiliar facec. "See you later Aurora and if possible, please stay here and don't cause trouble," Toye begged and she stuck out her tongue at him before heading over to where Eugene was and they both went to the aid station.

"She's gotten rebellious," Guarnere commented.

"Not a good sign," Liebgott shook his head and they all sighed. Hal didn't get it.

"Definitely not a good sign," Toye nodded.

The two medics immediately got to work as Easy Company was assigned to get rid of the Krauts who were shooting at the men dropping down on Utah. Winters ordered the two of them to stay at the aid station which is a barn they're using that was big enough to treat wounded soldiers and also it's nearby the shooting area where they could easily run over to treat the wounded the men could use to rest if needed. They were briefed about the operation so the medics from Able, Item and Dog were there too and Aurora was used to them a little, not entirely but they knew each other somewhat. It wasn't long before a number of soldiers arrived at the aid station to be treated, some were hit badly were others were only bruised so they were patched up ad allowed to head back into the battlefield. Among the wounded was Popeye who had his ass shot or something, Eugene guessed it might have been a grenade that blew up near him or something. 

"I fucked up. I'm sorry," He cried apologetically while on his belly so that Eugene could check how badly injured his ass was but it wasn't so bad. Aurora gave him some water just to calm the nerves. "You're a blessing, little missy." He told her before taking a sip.

"You'll be alright Wynn."

"Are you sure Doc?"

"Yeah, you'll heal in no time although you can't sit as of yet," Eugene went to fix up another soldier whose shoulder got hit.

"What do you suppose is wrong with him?" Popeye asked Aurora who was tending to another soldier next to Popeye who had an injury on the head, regarding one of the soldiers who was sitting on the bed by the window looking out. She shook her head. "You don't know either?" She pointed outside the barn where all the fight is still happening. "Outside? I can see that he's looking outside sweetheart."

She shook her head. "Om? Oh you mean home?" She nodded. "You think he misses home?" She nodded again and gave his hands a reassuring squeeze. "Thanks for treating me," She mouthed the words you're welcome before going off to see who else needs treatment.

The medics from the rest of the companies still haven't made it to the assembly area with the exception for C and G Company's medic that had arrived only in the nick of time but there weren't enough medics to go around so Aurora took away most of their pain so they could save up on morphine while Eugene bandaged them up. The other medivs had their hands full with missing body parts, broken ribs, hallucinations and the sorts; it was chaotic. In a few hours, she saw the familiar faces coming back from the war zone; they were worn out with a couple of bruises here and there so Aurora patched them up real good. She was shocked to hear that Toye was exposed to grenade twice without so much as getting a scratch on him though she was relieved about it. From the looks of it, their objective was complete and Aurora was more than happy to have at least saved a number of lives today although they did lose quite a few but there was nothing to be done about that as this was war.

"So Popeye is getting sent back to the hospital?" Toye asked Aurora as she was checking him for wounds. She nodded in reply.

"Wanna come eat with us?" Liebgott asked. "Hey Doc, we've got one hour of rest before we move out again. Let's grab some grub."

"Sounds good to me."

"I'm just glad we're all safe and sound," Lipton nodded.

They all made their way to the truck to get something to eat; Malarkey offered to cook but as soon as they smelled something horrendous coming from his direction they had second thoughts about his cooking. Eugene only stayed for awhile but then he was called back to the infantry to treat some of the soldiers. Aurora wanted to help but Eugene thought they were a bit to gruesome for her to look at so for now he just wanted her to have a piece of mind and told her to have dinner with the rest of them.

"Jesus, let me outta here," Liebgott pleaded as he left the truck along with Eugene.

"Real charming Malarkey," Toye commented.

"What?" Malarkey cooked up the grub. "You worried Aurora might have seconds thoughts or something?"

"I don't think she seems to care at all," Buck laughed. Aurora didn't understand what was so funny but she waited for the food anyway, she was starving.

"How we doing Malark?" Guarnere asked him.

"We're doing good," He tasted his cooking.

"Doing good? What the hell do you know about cooking? You're Irish," Buck looked at the food.

"Sir if you have reservations someplace else," He began but was cut off by Buck.

"Just serve the dish."

He served all of them equally; Aurora took a bite of it and although it wasn't that great, she was feeling hungry so she just ate it all. If she gets a tummy ache, she's pretty sure Eugene would have something for it.

"Is it any good Aurora?" Toye asked; she shook her head and rubbed her belly. "You're just hungry huh?" They all laughed and dug into their meal no matter what it tasted like or smelled like, so long as their belly was filled.

"Have you cooked before Aurora?" She shook her head.

"You don't huh," Guarnere took a bite of his food when Winters opened the flap. The blonde noticed he seemed down, his mind elsewhere and that worried her a little.

"Evening." He greeted them.

"Hello sir." Guarnere replied.

"Did something die in here?"

"Yeah, Malarkey's ass," Toye answered and they all laughed.

"Uhh, any word on Lt. Meehan yet sir?" Buck asked him.

"No not yet," He answered; Buck was quiet as he looked at Guarnere.

"Don't that make you our commanding officer, sir?" Guarnere asked.

"Yeah, it does," He replied. Aurora clapped her hands with a big smile, she was happy for him. "Thanks Aurora."

Guarnere nodded at Winters when Toye offered him a drink. "Joe, Lt. don't drink."

Winters looked at Toye and took the drink in his hand. "There's been a day of firsts," He took a sip but all of them could tell he didn't seem to enjoy it as he gave the bottle to Guarnere. "Don't you think Guarnere?"

There was a moment of eye contact between them before he nodded in reply. "Yes sir," He took the bottle from him.

"Carry on." Winters made to leave.

"Goodnight sir."

"Oh Sergeant?" Winters looked to Guarnere.

"Sir?"

"I'm not a Quaker," He told him and everyone laughed. Aurora handed Lipton her dish before making her way out the truck to follow Winters.

"She sure follows him around like a little puppy." Lipton commented.

"Shifty will have a hard time with her." Toye laughed.

"And the Doc too."

Everyone with the exception of Doc and Shifty and Aurora were well aware of their feelings for their beloved Gypsy but neither of them seem to realize it themselves and it frustrated majority of the men without any reason whatsoever. In Toye's case though, he seemed to think none of them was good enough for her and he'd protect her from anyone who even tried. All of them laughed the night away in relaxation as Aurora finds her way around town to look for Winters when she found him talking to Nixon. She tapped their shoulder and they greeted her with a smile; Winters patted her head while Nixon ruffled her hair.

"Hey Aurora," Nixon smiled.

"So today was the first time you treated patients huh?" Winters asked as she nodded. "Popeye? Butt? Oh you think he'll be okay?" She nodded again.

"You know that map you found?" Nixon turned to Winters. "I got every Kraut gun in Normandy on it," Aurora looked at him puzzled. "Dick found something that could be used against the enemy," He looked at her and she smiled at Winters.

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah," The two of them noticed that Winters wasn't really paying attention since he was still fumbling with a can of tuna trying to open it. "Here," He took it from him. "Don't ever get a cat."

"Aurora is like a cat," Winters teased though it didn't reach his eyes, he was still lost somewhere in his mind. She puffed her cheeks and pouted at him as the two men laughed.

"You got a point," Nixon was trying to open the can of tuna. "What's on your mind?"

"I lost a man today," Winters sighed. "Hal."

"Ah," Nixon handed him back the can that was now open. It didn't take Nixon long to open it and it wasn't that difficult in the first place but Winters had his mind absorbed in today's events.

"A John Hal. New Yorker," Aurora looked at him, her eyes widened and her expression was that of loss even if she didn't know the boy all that much but they had met and that made an impact. It wasn't a big impact but still the blonde felt the loss. "What? You met him? Will? Oh you mean Guarnere. He introduced you two?" She nodded. "Well, he got killed today at Brecourt."

"I never knew him." Winters looked at Nixon.

"Yeah, you did."

"Radio-op, 506th Basketball Team, Able Company," Winters told him but Nixon still didn't know him so he looked at Aurora for help.

"Help me out here," She jumped up like shooting hoops before doing a steering wheel. "Oh he's the guy playing basketball when Sobel drove by that day." She nodded.

"He was a good man," He paused. "Man. Not even old enough to buy a beer," Winters gave Nixon the can of tuna. "Not hungry."

"Hey Dick. I sent that map up to division. I think it's going to do some good," Winters stared at him before turning to leave. Nixon was worried but at the same time he knows what Winters was capable of and he'll get through it somehow.

"You don't suppose he thinks it's his fault that man died, do you?" Nixon asked her and she shook her head. "Yeah, I thought so."

She waved her hands to get his attention. "What is it? Talk? I? Me… go… over?" He scratched his head. "You want me to go over a cliff or something?" She shook her head and pointed at Winters's direction. "Oh you want me to go over there and talk to him?" She nodded. "Don't worry, he'll be fine. I'm sure of it," He patted her head and gave her the can of tuna before leaving her to worry for Winters.

She went to follow Winters but stayed closely behind; she sat down on the grass and ate the can of tuna as she watches over Winters. She didn't know what to say to the guy and even if she did he may get the wrong idea so it was best to let him have some time to himself before they start marching towards Carentan. Aurora had heard some of the men talking about Easy Company's next objective which is to take the town of Carentan. She realized she had been thinking too much about it as Winters had already left the hill overlooking the town and grabbed her hand in his.

"We better get a move on," He told her and she nodded. "You were worried about me?" She nodded. "Thank you. In war, we have to learn to know that someone will die one way or another; once the war is over I don't ever want to return."

She pushed him from behind to make him go faster. "Aurora?" Winters noticed she mouthed something. "Mustn't? Hey slow down," The moment she saw the rest of Easy Company she pushed Winters toward them and pointed. "You… are… their… leader…" She mouthed. It struck him that she wanted to cheer him up so he chuckled and smiled at her in thanks.

* * *

~June 8th, 1944. ~

Normandy, France.

The men of Easy Company were on standby while the commanding officers were having a strategy meeting on how to occupy Carentan. Aurora was so glad to see more familiar faces from the 2nd Platoon; Luz didn't lose his humour and jokes during the war so that was something to look forward to while they're down in the dumps. She was checking each and every one of them for any injuries that needs to be healed; Eugene pointed out accidentally that the more she used her healing abilities the more it will improve and by the end of the war she would have saved many lives. In all honesty, he really didn't want her to feel any more pain that he can't help with because they're not hers in the first place.

Aurora noticed the one Private named Albert Blithe; he looked lost or something so she walked to him and checked his temperature. He was a bit startled when she suddenly placed the back of her hand on his forehead since he never spoke to her before, only sometimes when it's absolutely necessary.

Shifty noticed so he came over to the two of them in case Blithe needed a translator. The blond looked at Shifty with a blank look on his face; Aurora looked at the both of them and then back to Shifty. "Are you okay?" He asked Blithe.

At first he didn't answer just yet as he looked at them. "Yeah, just thinking of something," She pointed towards her head and back at him. "What was I thinking about?" She nodded. "About everything that's happened," Aurora then used two fingers and did a cross. "Cross?"

Blithe looked at Shifty for help. "Did you mean to ask if he's injured somewhere?" She nodded.

"No I'm fine," She shook both her hands up at down. "Am I sure?" She nodded. "Yeah, thanks Aurora," He left the two of them and went to sit down next to Perconte who then showed him his watches.

Aurora gave Shifty a puzzled look because she can't seem to grasp Blithe's personality as of yet, to be honest she has trouble talking to him but he didn't seem to mind it. "Don't worry; I'm sure he's fine," Aurora smiled before pointing to Talbert. "Did I find Talbert?" She nodded. "Yeah, after I left you and Doc here, I was ordered to get some supplies from another company and just as I was told to look for supplies I ran into Talbert and fought with the 502nd ever since then."

She closed her eyes, sighs and placed her hand on her chest. "You're relieved?" She nodded. "Thank you Aurora," She smiled at him before continuing checking the other men.

"Hey Aurora," Luz was talking with Talbert and Liebgott about their findings. She pointed at the items they had.

"These are souvenirs," Talbert told her. She tilted her head.

"What souvenirs?" Liebgott asked her and she nodded her head. "It's what the enemy left us so we might as well keep it safe for them," She gently boxed the palm of her hand and pointed at him. "Yup that's it."

"What about you? I hear you and the Doc treated to Popeye's ass," Luz nudged her and she nodded.

"That must have been terrible," She shook her head and pointed to her neck before gesturing the number one. "One?" She pointed at them. "Us? No? Uhh, soldier?" She nodded. "One soldier got a neck wound?" She nodded.

"Oh you must be talking about that poor guy we saved from the barn," Shifty recalled and she nodded. "What happened to him?"

She pointed her neck, made a gesture like something is pouring out and shook her head. "He vomited?" Said Talbert. She shook her head. "He cried? No?"

"His guts were sticking out?" Luz suggested. "No? Oh you mean blood kept pouring out?" She nodded.

"So he didn't make it?" Asked the soft spoken sniper and she shook her head sadly. "Well that's okay, you did the best you could Aurora," He pats her head to reassure her its not her fault. She understood that but she's just so annoyed with herself that she can't be of more help despite Eugene always reminding her she's been more than enough help with her abilities to heal.

"Let's go 1st Platoon," They heard Lt. Welsh yelling. Aurora went ahead of them and stood next to him. "Have you done your rounds?" She nodded. "Easy's moving out! On your feet!" He yelled at the rest of them as they gathered in front of him.

"Listen up, it'll be dark soon and I want light and noise discipline from here on," Harry fixed his equipment. "No talking, no smoking, and no playing grab-fanny with the man in front of you Luz," He turns his attention to Aurora. "As for you, don't go finding trouble now you hear?" She nodded innocently. "I'm under orders to make sure you're not hurt or in trouble or else Winters will have me, so be good?"

"So where are we headed to Lt?" Asked one of the soldiers.

"We're taking Carentan," He replied.

"That sounds like fun." He joked.

"It's the only place where armour from Omaha and Utah Beach can link up and head inland. Until we take Carentan, they're stuck on the sand. General Taylor is sending the whole division."

Aurora saw Luz was about to make a joke which he did as they all started marching their way towards their second battle. "I'll protect you." Shifty stood beside her, patted her head and she smiled back at him while they walk together into battle.

* * *

 

~End of Chapter Two. ~


End file.
